Personally I prefer silver, but there are some interesting alloys being used that perform extremely well Here's a link to a PDF with IACS conductivity ratings http://www.avoutlet.com/images/product/additional/f/iacs_of_metals_n_solder.pdf Regards |
Yeah, silver is more conductive, and when that seemingly small percentage gets amplified for the speakers, it's noticeable. Personally I really like solid core wire instead of stranded wire. Audioquest and Morrow Audio both do great things with solid core conductors, but really, many companies have found good results with this design. |
Runnin, did you read the last two paragraphs of my post, especially these two sentences: Also, regarding the 6% or so difference in resistivity and conductivity between silver and copper, a point to keep in mind is that that difference can be compensated for several times over by simply going one gauge size larger in copper. It can also be compensated for by simply making the copper cable 6% shorter than the silver cable.Regards, -- Al |
To provide an example of the point to my post just above, the difference between the resistance and conductance of a 6 foot silver cable and a 6 foot copper cable that is identical aside for the type of metal, will be the same as the difference between the resistance and conductance of a 6 foot silver cable and another silver cable that is identical except that it is about 4.3 inches longer than 6 feet. I think it is reasonable to assume that in general there will not be a perceptible sonic difference between two silver cables that are identical except that one is 6 feet long and one is 6 feet 4.3 inches long. Which is NOT to say that the 6 foot copper cable and the 6 foot silver cable will necessarily sound identical. It is to say, contrary to common audiophile belief, that any differences in their sonics will not be due to differences in their resistance and conductance. Regards, -- Al |
I use Tempo Electric silver speaker cables with bare ends. On their site is a breakdown of gauge depending on power amp rating and cable length. I'm pretty sure it's standard for most applications. They sound very good in my system and better anything I've had (in my limited experience) :-) All the best, Nonoise |
